Trades and free agency are on fans' minds as the season winds down, with the Pistons entering the final one-fourth of the schedule after Sunday's game in San Antonio.

For inclusion in next Friday's Q-and-A segment, email your questions to dmayo@mlive.com and remember to put "Ask David" in the subject line.

Let's start:

Q: David, thanks again for the great work on the Pistons! We all like Greg Monroe for what he is, one of the best young big men in the league, productive, durable and by all indications a great teammate. However, he did not take the leap this year that many were expecting him to. He is in his third year and, in my opinion, has not improved that much from last year. With Greg up for a maximum contract next year, I would rather trade him (for the right deal, obviously) than pay him the maximum contract he would be up for. Keep in mind, we will have to pay out big money for Andre Drummond if he reaches his ceiling as a franchise center, which everyone seems to believe he will. Rather than gamble and hope Monroe improves enough to warrant a maximum deal, would Joe Dumars consider trading him? I was thinking for Kevin Love, who is very unhappy with the direction of the Timberwolves and could want out. Love would be the perfect complement for Drummond moving forward the way Drummond has thrived on the second unit playing with Villanueva as the stretch four. Also, Love and 'Dre make much more basketball sense than Monroe and 'Dre. Would David Kahn consider a Monroe, Singler, Villanueva’s expiring deal, and a first-round pick? It works out money-wise, but is Minnesota getting enough? I think Monroe’s ceiling is what Kevin Love is now. Your thoughts? Thanks again! -- Joe

A: I don't purport to know what Minnesota would do, Joe, but your last sentence says plenty. If Monroe has a ceiling as high as that of Kevin Love, who is a tremendously productive player, then why give up Monroe plus oodles of other stuff for Love? I don't disagree at all that Love and Drummond would be a better fit, just because of Love's ability to stretch the floor, but I think you might be underselling Monroe.

Is Monroe untouchable? No, and if the Pistons were of the mind that he won't develop into the power forward they need to play alongside Drummond, then they'd have to go another direction. Still, while Drummond is a tremendous defensive talent, he offers very little on the offensive end other than pick-and-roll dunks, which teams largely had begun to take away before his injury by roughhousing him and sagging off his screens to make the ballhandler shoot rather than allow an easy lob. And there is no indication that Drummond's offensive acumen will develop in the foreseeable future. Monroe is a post scorer, which Drummond isn't. He's also a subpar free-throw shooter, but nothing of the clang artist Drummond is, so he can play at the end of games. To what degree Monroe's development might have been stunted this year, it was attributable largely to giving up an increasing number of center minutes to Drummond as the year progressed. He has played well since Drummond was injured. And his first-year to second-year progression was profound. Probably not fair to expect the same level of progression this season.

The Pistons don't have to make a decision based on Drummond's future contractual status yet because he's locked up for three more years. And all their recent major decisions -- the Ben Gordon trade and the Tayshaun Prince trade principal among them -- were made to increase their financial flexibility with an eye toward keeping their young core intact. At some point, any franchise has to see a plan through, whether to fruition or failure, rather than scrap it without knowing how it plays out, and the Pistons are squarely in that position now.

Q: Hey David, I have a couple questions on two free agents this offseason and if you think the Pistons should go after them, one is a restricted free agent and one unrestricted. First off, I believe the Pistons must re-sign their free agent Jose Calderon. The unrestricted free agent that I would like the Pistons to pursue is small forward Corey Brewer and the restricted free agent is shooting guard Tyreke Evans. So what do you think about the Pistons going after one or both of these players? Both would be good fits and upgrades for the Pistons. I know the Kings could match the offer for Evans, but they maybe could work out a possible trade. Brewer this season is only making $3.243 million. Thanks and God bless. -- Jeff

A: I'm with you on Calderon, Jeff. If the Pistons re-sign him in fiscally prudent-but-fair fashion, it will make a lot of their related decisions a little easier. It also keeps Brandon Knight at shooting guard, which mitigates the need for someone like Evans, who is a substandard 3-point shooter for his position. Goodness knows the Pistons already have enough of those. Same with Brewer. I love him defensively but he's not a shooter. I wouldn't regard him as much of an upgrade over Singler, if at all. The Pistons need some shooting when they address their perimeter needs. I'd look elsewhere.

Q: Hi David, do you have a sense at this point what the Pistons will do with Rodney Stuckey? His time for showing he is a franchise cornerstone has passed and I am tired of him. But I can see that he still has value as a reserve to provide scoring with the second unit and defense against guards he has a physical advantage over. On another note, do you have an idea why a number of Detroit fans have defended Stuckey over the last few years? It seems that Stuckey supporters can be grouped with Brandon Inge fans and Rich Rodriguez apologists. Thanks. -- Boris

A: I don't purport to know what people think, Boris. To be honest, I'm not even aware of any groundswell of support for Stuckey over the years. But that's probably because I don't pay much attention to that stuff; it's great for fan discussion, I suppose, but irrelevant to actual decisions at hand. Believe me when I tell you that I've rarely seen a team react to fans' opinions, and on those occasions when it happens, you're dealing with a deeply troubled and rudderless franchise. Fans are great and teams need them desperately but trying to please them with personnel decisions is a fool's errand.

I don't specifically know the Pistons' plans with Stuckey but I would be extremely surprised if they paid him $4 million to walk away and play for another team, which is allowed under his buyout clause. So forget the first $4 million of his $8.5 million contract next year, because that money is already committed and counts against the salary cap. So if I'm Dumars, the contract's structure leaves me with this decision: Is Stuckey worth $4.5 million next year? The answer undoubtedly is yes. That said, Stuckey's contract expires next year and a lot could happen between now and the 16th Thursday of the 2013-14 season, when the next trade deadline hits. I would think teams would call about Stuckey this summer and beyond. And I would think the Pistons would listen -- and closely.

-- Have a Pistons-related question for MLive Media Group beat writer David Mayo? Email it to dmayo@mlive.com with "Ask David" in the subject line.